The story on hand, ‚Bitter lemon(s)' is fan-fiction. I wrote it, because I love to write, but I will not use 'Bitter lemon(s)' in any commercial way.

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Chapter6

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Robin stood at the ship's rail and looked down to the sea. She couldn't see the surface of the water, but the sound told her that it was there. Although their ship was sailing at a low speed, the waves pounded against the side of the Going Merry and Robin had to admit that she was fascinated by it. She was born in a world of islands and the sea had been her first playground. Then fate had forced her to become a pirate and water had surrounded her life again. Water had been the link between the stations of her life.

The tragedy was that she couldn't swim.

Didn't matter. She also didn't understand how to have fun with her crewmates and friends, although she was among them.

"Robin?"

The archaeologist turned around and looked at Chopper, "Oh, doctor-san… You shouldn't be here, it's too cold to stay outside."

"Robin, I'm a reindeer! I love snow and cold," he stated.

"Oh, yes, hm…"

The doctor made a step to the rail and bent down. When he looked down the ship, Robin had to smile. He was a nice and cute mixture between a reindeer and a human. His blue nose, which was very sensitive, made him look sweet. Robin really liked him. When she had been new on the ship, Chopper didn't trust her – like the rest of the crew, but after that the doctor became her best friend among the crewmates. She would defend him with her own life.

"Robin?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Why do you ask, doctor-san?"

"You don't look happy, Robin... I don't know if the others have seen it, but I have," he smiled, "Robin-san… do you want to tell me what's the matter?"

Robin shook her head, "I don't think that that is a good idea, doctor-san."

"I want to help you!"

"It's too complicated, doctor-san."

"But I want to help you."

"Hm, no."

"But I want to help you! We're friends!" Chopper said stubbornly.

She shook her head, "No, thanks. It's very nice, but I have to solve the problem on my own way. Do you understand, doctor-san?"

"Hm, why?"

"You wouldn't understand, believe me."

"It's about Nami, isn't?"

Robin froze and stared at him, "W… what? How do you know?"

The reindeer grinned, "I know that there is a problem between you two. When we were eating, there was kind of a wall between you two."

Suddenly she smiled at him, "Have you ever eaten fresh lemons?"

"Eh… No, Robin. Why do you ask?"

"They are refreshing and somehow lovely, but very bitter. I've liked to eat them when I was a child, but there is the problem with lemons. You start to really feel sick if you've eaten too much of them."

She stopped, and then went on, "It's easier with tangerines, I think."

"But what has this to do with this situation?"

"I've eaten too many lemons in the last hours, doctor-san," suddenly she smiled, "but I'm afraid I can't stop."

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Luffy sat at the table in the ship's mess and stared at the ceiling as if there was something that attracted his attention. Nami couldn't find the spot of Luffy's interest, but it wasn't the first time she couldn't understand the mind of her captain.

"Luffy?"

"Hm?"

"I… I have a question."

The boy with the straw hat looked at her in confusion, "And you want to know if I can help you?"

Luffy grinned at her in his childlike manner. She didn't know if he hadn't realized the insult or if he had decided to ignore it.

"So ask."

"Hm?"

"You've got a question, so ask me," Luffy said and turned to the ceiling again.

"I… Luffy, it's a serious question and I don't want t you tell it to anybody."

He sighed with boredom and continued to focus the ceiling with his eyes, "Understand."

"Luffy!" she said angrily, "Damn! It's important for me!"

"Nami, you can trust me. I'm not telling to anybody."

She looked skeptically at him.

He smiled, "You care for my hat when I'm fighting. I'm indebted to you, Nami. Why I should break a promise to you?"

The captain blinked at her and looked up again. The orange haired stared at him and smiled. Sometimes she forgot that he had a childlike manner, not a childish one. He would never think of breaking a promise, betraying a friend, or hurting anybody deliberately. He didn't see sense in such an action. This was one the many reasons, why she liked him so much.

"Eh, hm, yes… It's, eh, complicated… I have to make a decision between two mistakes. If I choose the first decision, I'm hurting a friend and betraying my heart. The second one means that I will be doing something unuasual and I'm not sure if you will accept this. You are my friends, my family and I would never do something you don't like. I wanted to ask you if you would follow your heart, even if it means that your friends wouldn't accept your decision?"

"Nami, follow your heart," he said without hesitation.

"But… if there are problems?"

"There is nothing worse in the world than a missed opportunity. Without trying you don't know if it was the right or wrong decision and if you don't hurt anybody then why should you give it up? By the way… friends are persons who can forgive wrong decisions, so don't worry."

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-tbc-

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Author's note: I don't know if Robin said at any time that she likes lemons, but I decided that she would do so in this story ;-)

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